12,000 is not a small number, especially if it was about losing 12,000 jobs in the UK solar industry. One cannot but question and think of reasons for this news, as soon as he/she reads it.
A report by PWC for the Solar Trade Association (STA), mentioned that “a third of solar jobs have likely been lost in the UK.” The findings are based on a survey of 238 companies, around 10% of the industry.
Almost four in 10 companies are considering leaving the solar market entirely, and three in 10 told the survey they expected to employ fewer people in a year’s time. But half said they expected no change in staff levels and a fifth expected to increase numbers.
The Guardian quoted Leonie Greene, a spokeswoman for the STA, as saying: “The survey shows very regrettable damage to the fabric of the British solar industry and the need for prompt government action.”
It added that “In May, new solar panel installations and the closure of several coal power plants saw solar generate more than coal over a month for the first time. On several days the amount of electricity produced from coal dropped to zero”.
The government defended the reductions in solar support, which are levied on energy bills, by saying it needed to protect householders and businesses from rising energy costs. At the time, solar subsidies accounted for around £10 of an average annual household bill of £1,338.
The prospects for new solar in the UK are bleak in the short term but could be more hopeful in the longer run. While the recent abolition of the government’s climate department led to criticism that Theresa May was downgrading action on climate change, ministers in June committed to ambitious new carbon targets for 2030.
According to PWC’s report, the solar industry will also be negatively impacted by Brexit and the “turbulent period of economic adjustment” that this will bring, the report says. Although some solar businesses are “likely to welcome the chance to remove perceived European red tape.”
On the other hand, The Independent mentioned that “Currently one of the problems faced by solar energy is that the level of generation varies significantly depending on the levels of sunlight but demand is more constant. Storage allows energy to be captured and held until it is needed, smoothing supply”.
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